


Suitcases Full of C4

by Kasuchi



Category: NCIS
Genre: Between Seasons/Series, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-26
Updated: 2010-01-26
Packaged: 2017-11-17 10:43:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/550696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kasuchi/pseuds/Kasuchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four ways Tony didn't learn about Ziva getting exploded, and one way he did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Suitcases Full of C4

**Author's Note:**

> For Lauren, my muse and my cattle prod and my bunny rancher. You are awesome. â¥

**anchors aweigh**

When Tony checks into the hotel on a weekend's shore leave from being agent afloat, (heâd complain more, but he's getting a free world cruise) the concierge hands him a yellow paper. "SeÃ±or, este llegÃ³ para usted."

Tony thanks the guy and walks away turning the yellow sheet over and over in his hands. It's a goddamn _telegram_ from NCIS and Tony's almost angry at the egregious use of funds. (After all, he pays taxes, too.) He slides a finger under the flap and tears it open.

ZIVA EXPLODED STOP IS OK STOP THOUGHT TO TELL YOU STOP GIBBS STOP

**fly high**

Tony sifts through a handful of news sources on his allocated ten minutes of internet time. He checks his email now and again, since the agent afloat computer is all Navy intranet (which is lame - you can't even stream a movie to pass the time) but mostly he wants to know what's happening beyond the damn boat.

BBC comes in fastest, so Tony checks it. Front and center on the home page is an article about a Moroccan nightclub getting bombed. Tony clicks and swears loudly when he recognizes the woman in bright blue with the bleeding head wound.

**hooah**

"You have a new scar," Tony says, as they huddle behind a wall waiting for Gibbs to signal.

"That is ridiculous. You cannot possibly see a scar."

"Forehead, right side. It's faded, but you didn't reapply your makeup."

"Damn it," she muttered, and shifted slightly. "Fine, I have a scar."

"You want to tell me how you got it?"

"You would not believe me."

"Try me."

"I was blown up in a Moroccan nightclub."

"Okay, you were right. I don't believe you. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I am _fine!_ "

"If you say so." Pause. "That's it, let's go."

**semper fi**

Abby says lots and lots of words at Tony, but Tony just nods along. Sometimes with her he has to let her run out of steam.

This is not one of those times.

"--like how thrumming music can make your ear lose its natural frequency and that's why you hear the ringing in your ear after you go to a nightclub. But not like the one Ziva was in where she was undercover as a singer and she looked so pretty and apparently she was singing something but then it was bombed, but she got out okay and we tracked her down. Anyway so the polymerase reacts and creates a chain reaction hence why it's called a polymerase chain reaction, isn't that cool when stuff does what it says on the tin? It's so awesome, and makes studying for the test a lot easier, wouldn't you say, Tony?"

"Yeah, I wou--hold on, back up. What did you just say?"

"Polymerase! It causes a chain reaction which--"

"No, before that."

"Uh. Throbbing music is bad for you?"

"Abby!"

"Okay, okay! Ziva was in the nightclub bombing in Morocco." Abby pouts. "I didn't know you didn't know!"

He sighs.

**be'hatzlacha**

Tony watches the newsreel just once. Then he walks around the office. It's quiet and bright in the afternoon, most of the agents out of the office on cases and interviews and vacation. (He's rather jealous of those last people.)

He's kind of pissed, really. What else have his friends been hiding from him? He leans against the back of the staircase to MTAC, a heavy sigh draining the anger away and just leaving something vaguely painful.

It would seem that he's doomed to care about everyone more than they seem to care about him.

(Except maybe Ducky. And Palmer.)

**Author's Note:**

> Each section title is essentially the way members of the armed forces tell each other "good luck" in military tradition. "Anchors aweigh" is the US Navy, "fly high" is the US Air Force, "hooah" is the US Army, "semper fi" is the US Marines, and "be'hatzlacha" is Hebrew for "good luck."


End file.
